Monday, March 30, 2020

The Food and Drug Administration granted hydroxychloroquine emergency
use authorization on Sunday. The authorization comes amid a large
clinical trial currently underway in New York and growing evidence that suggests the drug may be an effective treatment for patients infected with the Wuhan coronavirus.

(Hydroxy)chloroquine
is an inexpensive drug widely used since 1955 to treat malaria. Given
the drug's relatively harmless side effects, doctors are already
beginning to incorporate the drug in their treatment of coronavirus
cases. President Trump and New York Gov. Cuomo have both expressed
optimism over the drug's efficacy.
The world is currently in the
middle of a pandemic and the luxury of time simply doesn't exist for the
typical regulatory processes. With few alternatives, why not let
doctors prescribe (hydroxy)chloroquine to patients, the vast majority of
which could only stand to benefit from receiving the medicine?

"Let's see how it works," Trump said at a press briefing on Sunday. "It may. It may not."
The
FDA is allowing drugmakers to donate the medicine "to the Strategic
National Stockpile to be distributed and prescribed by doctors to
hospitalized teen and adult patients with COVID-19, as appropriate, when
a clinical trial is not available or feasible," HHS announced in a statement.
Sandoz Pharmaceuticals donated 30 million doses of hydroxychloroquine
and drugmaker Bayer donated one million doses of chloroquine to the
stockpile.

When Trump expressed optimism about the relatively
safe drug's potential use as an effective treatment for the Wuhan
coronavirus, kneejerk Democrats, like Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak, moved to restrict access to the potentially life-saving medicine.

Drugmakers have already ramped up
production of (hydroxy)chloroquine in response to the increased demand.
The focus at this point should be making more of this potentially
life-saving drug, not restricting its use amid a global pandemic. The
FDA's emergency authorization of (hydroxy)chloroquine should allow
drugmakers to do just that.

EMAIL FOLLOWERS

Follow My Posts by Email

The Patriot Factor

I am an American Patriot...part of the grassroots movement of bloggers spreading the truth the media will not. I am also co-host with Craig Andresen of RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS on RSP Radio at: https://streamingv2.shoutcast.com/right-side-patriots